Kenosha on the Go

by Kenosha Streetcar Society

Overview

Kenosha on the Go chronicles 110 years of transportation in Kenosha. From the first interurban streetcar that reached Kenosha's northern city limits in 1897 to the existing transit system in 2007, this book covers local streetcar operations, trackless trolley and bus operations, the two electric interurbans that served Kenosha, and the North Western Railway. Kenosha on the Go also brings readers to the rebirth of streetcar operations in Kenosha at the dawn of the 21st century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738550985
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	01/23/2008
Series:	Images of Rail
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

Kenosha Streetcar Society member Kenneth C. Springirth, author of four Arcadia books, was instrumental in initiating Kenosha on the Go. John F. Doyle, the primary author of this title, cofounded the Kenosha Streetcar Society with Louis Rugani of Kenosha in 2002. Doyle was raised in Chicago where streetcars, interurbans, "L" trains, subway trains, trackless trolleys, and buses were all part of the everyday scene. When his family got its first car in 1945, a favorite memory was driving down Sheridan Road from Chicago to Milwaukee. Passing through Kenosha and viewing those trackless trolleys amid the classic downtown buildings was always something special.

Editorial Reviews

Title: Such a novel idea
Author: Joe Potente
Publisher: Kenosha News
Date: 11/30/2008

A book signing turned into Old Home Day for author Nick Cibrario on Saturday. Cibrario was signing copies of his recent novel, "Secrets on the Family Farm," when an old neighbor from nearby the actual farm that inspired the book stopped to visit.

"As soon as I saw the writer, I said, 'That can't be Nick!," said Denia Peltz.

It was. They quickly reacquainted themselves with each other, and Cibrario signed her book.

Cibrario was one of several local authors who appeared at the Kenosha Public Museum Saturday afternoon, to read excerpts from their works, take questions from readers and, of course, sign books.

The lineup included current and former Kenoshans, as well as area authors of books related to the Civil War, the subject matter of Kenosha's newest museum.

John Hosmanek, author of "Postcard History Series: Kenosha" appeared, as did Lance Herdegen, author of "Those Damned Black Hats!" Also scheduled to appear were Tom Arliskas ("Cadet Gray and Butternut Brown") and John Driscoll ("The Baraboo Guards").

Cibrario's latest novel draws on some firsthand experience from his 1950s-era upbringing on a farm off of Bentz and Cooper roads, near Whittier Elementary School in Pleasant Prairie.

Most of the characters and events are fictional in nature, but a few are somewhat truer than fiction, Cibrario said.

"I put this into a setting that's familiar," said Cibrario, now a retired Racine schoolteacher and a resident of that city.

Another author included in Saturday's event drew on a lifelong hobby for his book's subject matter.

Jack Doyle, author of ''Images of Rail: Kenosha On the Go," chronicled the history of all forms of public transit in the area. A co-founder of the Kenosha Streetcar Society, Doyle goes into great depth in his book on the formation of the city's current streetcar system.

In a question-and-answer session, he put to rest the question of the difference between a "streetcar" and a "trolley."

The answer?

There is no difference. It all depends on where you are.

"I was raised with 'streetcars' in Chicago and never, never heard the word 'trolley,''' Doyle said.
For the record, they're also called "streetcars" in Kenosha.

From the Publisher